Feeding tips

[jacques92]

Hey every one
just wondering whats the best way to feed carpet pythons

Asking because i got a carpet python yearling fed it last night had a prekilled rat and held with tweesers and would not take it but then i left the rat in the cage came back later and the snake ate the rat is it best just to leave the prekilled rat in the cage next time

 

[bimbo]

not sure about carpet but I imagine that most pythons are the same, if it eats it when you leave it in there then fine but I prefer for them to get it down while I am watching - I figure less chance of any bacteria etc, maybe I'm just paranoid.
I found that if I touch/rub the mouse/rat about 1/3 way down the body of the python it will get a strike, or giving it a wiggle not far from their nose - also giving it a wiggle when they have started to coil round it makes them wrap a bit tighter too.

HTH
James

 

[leamos]

Every snake is different, when i first got my jungle she wouldn't take it from tweezers but as soon as it hit the ground she would nail it, now i'm luck if i get the rat in the enclosure before she grabs it. I'm sure it'll just take time

 

[browny]

if it won't take it from you try using a small plate or tile etc as a feed area and put the rat on that just only have it in there at feed times so it gets used to what it's for, something to try tho is 'braining' the rat and maybe touching it on the side of the face with the rat

*as mentioned above lol

 

[leamos]

No need to harass the snake with a dead rat just so you can see it strike at it, if its eating the rat leave it be, belting it over the head with a rat could actually make any feeding problem worse. At the end of the day as long as the rat does down it doesn't matter how violently the snake takes it

 

[montay]

Hi - just got back moments ago from feeding my montage of hatchlings. I always toss the pinkie in, usually on top of them, and the majority feed. Tweezers are simply seen as something evil to be feared. They seem to feed this way if you just toss the food in.
Some of my adults prefer the 'big drama' with the thrill of the kill [even though the rat is dead] and they seem to respond to chasing the rat dangling from the tongs.